Handheld information organization and communications devices are becoming increasingly popular for both business users and more general users. These handheld devices may be referred to as personal digital assistants (PDA), pocket personal computers (pocket PC), palmtop computers, smart phones, handheld computers, and so forth. A handheld device may be small enough to fit into a purse or a pocket, and may weigh less than one pound. As a result, the handheld device is very portable. Some examples of handheld devices for organizing calendars, storing personal contact information, and/or providing communication functionality include the 3Com line of Palm® handheld computers, the Palm® Treo™ line of smart phones, the Handspring Visor™ line of handheld computer systems, and the Microsoft® PocketPC.
These handheld devices may include telephone software applications. For example, with a telephone application, a user may dial a number, look up a contact, personalize and show a wallpaper image, display alerts and other status items, set up links (favorites) to speed dials and other applications, universal resource locators (URLs), and also may include functionality for cellular carrier requirements.
These handheld devices may include other applications to hold and manage personal information. For example, an address book application may be used to store and access a list of acquaintances and contact details. Typically, these handheld devices contain Personal Information Management (PIM) software applications such as an address book, a calendar application, a memo application, and a To-Do list application. Such handheld devices are generally small enough to be carried all the time and do not require any “boot” time before entering an operational state. Accordingly, such handheld devices allow constant access to a large amount of personal information.
One aspect of a handheld device provides an intuitive method of quickly accessing the personal information data. In this regard, handheld devices based on the Palm® Operating System (PalmOS) have captured a large proportion of the handheld computer system market. With the PalmOS, a user may select and manipulate data in a number of different ways. For example, a user may use up/down scroll buttons, a user may select an item displayed on a touch screen, and a user may scroll through different category lists by repeatedly pressing an application button.
A user may interact with the handheld device using a stylus, or pen, to touch a portion of the display screen. Electronic sensors in a display screen of the handheld device detect the point of contact between the stylus and the screen. The user can input information into the handheld device by tracing the shape of a character on the display screen. The user also may cause the handheld computer to perform a function by touching the name of the function when the name is displayed on the screen.
Handheld devices and other portable computing devices require considerable amount of user-interaction. Because such devices are small, user-interface features of handheld devices are typically incorporated into a compact arrangement of buttons and display features. Display features on the handheld device may be contact sensitive. The contact-sensitive nature of the display provides users with a rich and diverse means by which input can be entered and viewed. For example, a handheld device may comprise a graphic user-interface including a system of user-interface views, view buttons, and/or command buttons.